IMPALILA – Impalila is an Island at the far eastern periphery of the Zambezi Region surrounded by the waters of both the Zambezi and Chobe rivers and separating the four countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
At first glance, the lush greenery with cascading waters due to the rock formation of the area makes it a spectacular wonder.
The island is also a sanctuary for a variety of bird species and wildlife, including crocodiles and hippos that infest the rivers. It is an ultimate and ideal destination but an encounter with locals tells a different story.
The island faces major transport challenges despite government having bought a ferry christened the Kapelwa Kabajani to ease the transport woes faced by people mostly living in flood-prone areas. This has, in fact, placed a heavy burden on their meagre income, as they pay exorbitant transport fares further complicating the lives of an already impoverished community.
This became evident after residents narrated to this reporter their discontent with bureaucracy preventing the ferry to function fully.
Transport woes
Currently, residents living on the island have to travel via Botswana to reach their villages, a cumbersome process that requires documentation and has devastating economic consequences for them.
Although appreciative of infrastructure erected by government in the area, many residents feel left out and believe government is not doing enough to address their plight head-on.
A female induna in the area, Imelda Muluti Kasimbi, says although development is evident in the area, problems that directly affect residents on a daily basis also need to be tackled swiftly.
“We have transport challenges. The government can in the meantime revamp the inland road from Kasika, Kabuta to Ngoma. Our people without passports can use that road particularly during emergencies,” appealed the induna.
Chuma Chika, another discontented resident, echoed similar sentiments adding that life on the island forces many residents to buy their groceries from neighbouring Botswana, which is much closer and easily accessible and in the process they are subjected to prohibitive exchange rates. “As you can see, we are surrounded by water. We have no bigger shop where to buy food and Katima Mulilo is very far and you have to cross the border to go there. Our dollars have to be slashed in Botswana,” complained Chika about the exchange rate in favour of the Botswana Pula.
Another elderly resident felt bringing immigration services closer to residents of Impalila could help them cut transport costs.
“They should at least bring travel permits close to us like they used to do in the past. Some of us do not have money to travel to Katima and back just to get a permit. For us to survive, we have to cross either into Botswana or Zambia. Government should not only bring roads and buildings but also shops so that it becomes easy for us,” said another.
“We have trouble with transport. We were promised a barge by the government and we got the Kapelwa Kabajani ferry. This boat is not transporting people, we don’t know why. In the olden days, we had a barge that could carry up to 2 000 people and we used to transport our goods from Katima Mulilo without a problem and without using the border,” complained another.
Kabbe Constituency Councillor, who doubles as chairperson of the Zambezi Regional Council, Raphael Mbala, concurred with concerns raised by residents, noting that government has taken steps to speed up the process of giving passes to residents, as is the case with the Wenela Border Post with Zambia.
A pass is a flexible document allowing easy access of entering another country for a few days without necessarily using a passport.
“I agree, people are travelling nearly every day to buy goods in Kasane. In 2012, the two governments agreed to come up with a process of giving passes to Impalila residents,” said Mbala. “Last month, I met the Minister of Home Affairs [and Immigration] on the same issue. The minister agreed to speed up the process with his Botswana counterparts. Home affairs is also in the process of putting up a building at Impalila,” further stated Mbala referring to the status quo where police perform the duties of immigration officials due to the absence of immigration on the island.
It was not clear why immigration officials are not stationed on the island even though sources cite lack of accommodation as the main reason.
Mbala said fares for the Kapelwa Kabajani ferry, which were initially deemed exorbitant for residents, have since been revised and government agreed to subsidise them.
“The prices were going as far as N$300 and we did not agree to this and decided to engage central government. The government agreed to bring the prices down and subsidise residents. From here to Luhonono (former Schukmannsburg), for example, it is now N$45. The permanent secretary will be here next month to finalise everything so that the barge can start travelling at least twice a week,” Mbala assured Impalila and other residents.
However, the major problem that has stalled the operation of the ferry, especially during the dry season, has been the shallowness of the Zambezi River making it impossible for the boat to navigate the waters due to piles of sand and grass in the river.
“We decided to buy a dredger to deepen the river. We have requested for the other one. As you know that the Zambezi River is a shared resource, we are still waiting for our Zambian counterpart for us to start dredging the river so that the ferry can travel even during dry periods. Until when there is flooding, the Kasaya channel from Zambezi to Chobe is impassable,” he said.
Mbala further noted that he had looked at the idea of building a road that could connect the mainland of Zambezi directly to Impalila Island to alleviate the plight of residents, as a long-term solution.
“If we get foreign aid and have enough money, we might take a road to Impalila, like we are taking a road to Kasika currently. This could be part of the long-term solution to this problem,” he stated.
Mbala also revealed plans to construct roads at Impalila. “The terrain of the area is so difficult that even 4×4 vehicles find it difficult to pass through during the rainy season. The ministry of works and the Roads Authority have decided to put up roads there,” said the councillor.